1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, a system and a mould-box for creating form-moulded items of edible ice from an ice mass.
2. Description of Related Art
The traditional manner in which items of edible ice are produced is for a series of moulds to be conveyed extending downwards in a freezing bath, typically salt-brine, past a filling station and thereafter, a section for an adequate period of time in order that the ice items can at least be shell-frozen, after which the moulds are lifted over and conveyed further along a shorter section in a heating bath to achieve the thawing for freeing the ice item for subsequent detachment from the mould. This technique requires that the ice items are freely extractable, i.e. that the moulds are configured internally with mould slip.
There is a considerable market for “3D-products”, i.e., edible ice items which do not appear with precisely this slip shape, but with bulges and undercuts, and during the course of time several different methods have been proposed for the formation of such items, e.g. by pressure moulding of pre-manufactured items, the application of extra ice mass on the items, or the use of moulds which can be opened. The present invention is directed to this last-mentioned technique, which mechanically and control-wise, is relatively cost effective to implement and reliable in function.
In connection with openable moulds that typically have mutually bottom-hinged mould half parts, it is a problem to use brine as a surrounding freezing medium because small leaks can not be completely excluded. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,573, suggests that it is better to use cold air as freezing medium. In connection with ice freezing, it is also known to use diverse cryogene techniques, which are edible-item friendly, are also relatively complicated or expensive.
From the European patent application EP-A2 0 132 412, there is also known a method for the production of edible ice items by the filling of ice mass into a mould created by two mould half-parts. In the half-parts, it is possible to introduce a freezing medium through the half-parts, and herewith, freeze the ice mass to form ice-lollies. When the ice-lollies are to be freed from the mould half-parts, this is effected by means of gravity by influencing the mould mechanically, or by influencing the ice-lollies mechanically at the same time that the half-parts are moved away from each other. The removal of the ice-lollies from the mould half-parts requires considerable force, which among other things can be detrimental to the surface quality of the lollies.